People to People News

Professor Promoted People to People Junket Without University Approval

Latest gaffe by for-profit promoters hawking 'educational' travel

06/13/2010 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

A University of Colorado professor is under fire for lending her name and the universitys letterhead -- without authorization -- to recruit participants for an upcoming People to People trip to South Africa.

The solicitation has also irked a Texas couple, who say they received one of the letters addressed to a name that closely resembled a deceased family member.

This is the latest marketing gaffe involving the company that handles People to People trips and that has a history of sending similar solicitations for overseas journeys to the parents of deceased children.

ConsumerAffairs.com learned that Eisenhart wrote the letter on CU stationery, but did not have permission to use the universitys letterhead or logo for the solicitation designed to lure more people for the South African trip.

Weve also learned that CU does not have any commercial ties to People to People and did not give the travel company authorization to use the universitys stationery in its marketing campaign.

In the solicitation, Eisenhart encourages recipients to participate in an upcoming Women in Higher Education trip to South Africa through People to People Citizen Ambassador Programs.

I invite you to join me to participate in this important international exchange, Eisenhart writes. Our goals will be to learn about South African womens representation in higher education, current research on women in higher education in South Africaand the issues facing South African women in higher education today.

Eisenhart readily discloses her academic ties to CU and even touts that relationship in the letters first sentence.

As University Distinguished Professor of educational anthropology and research methodology at the University of Colorado, I am honored to have been selected as leader of the Women in Higher Education Delegation to South Africa, states Eisenhart, who has served as a delegation leader on at least three other People to People trips.

The professor applauds the trips affiliation with People to People Ambassador Programs, which is part of the publicly-traded Ambassadors Group, Inc. (EPAX). The Spokane, Washington, company arranges and markets worldwide educational trips -- under the People to People name -- for students, athletes, and professionals.

In conjunction with People to People Citizen Ambassador Programs, this delegation has been developed to foster dialogue with our overseas counterparts and to continue the tradition of professional diplomacy first set forth by President Eisenhower in 1956, Eisenhart writes.

Prof. Margaret Eisenhart (University photo)

Those who receive Eisenhart's letter are urged to act quickly or risk losing their spots on this $6,000 trip, which she describes as a unique experience.

In the event that you are unable to accept this invitation, an alternate delegate candidate may be invited, she warned, adding recipients can also recommend someone else for the trip.

Eisenharts letter appears to be targeted to higher education professionals that she personally handpicked. I believe you would contribute valued expertise to the team while gaining both personally and professionally from the experience, she states.

No relationship

But a Texas couple who received the solicitation says they dont have a personal or professional relationship with Eisenhart. And they want to find out how she -- or People to People -- obtained their private home address.

They also want to know why the solicitation was addressed to a name that is almost identical to the wifes deceased mother. The only difference is the middle initial its a G in the letter instead of the correct C.

My mom never lived at this address, said the womans daughter, Mary. Id like to know how they got the name or what they thought was a name.

Mary also wonders why her moms name is still on any companys mailing list. She died five years ago, Mary said. She was 85.

My mom was involved in the field of higher education all her life, Mary said. She had a Ph.D in education and this is the kind of letter that my mom would receive. But its clear somebody has a database that is really messed up.

Not the first time

As ConsumerAffairs.com has reported, this isnt the first time People to People has sent a solicitation for one of its oversea trips to the family of a deceased person.

A Florida couple has received two different letters in two different years -- from People to People inviting their deceased daughter to take an educational trip abroad. The letters came in 2006 and 2008. But the couples daughter died in 1992. She was 18 days old.

People to People has also invited a deceased cat on one of its trips. The "Parents of Earl Gray" received a letter in 2006 stating their "son" was eligible for a trip to Europe and "named for this honor by a teacher, former Student Ambassador or national academic listing."

But the Arkansas parents told us Earl was their all white, one-eyed, cat. He died in 1996 and is buried in the couple's back yard. He was 14 years old.

People to People also came under fire in 2005 after an Iowa woman received one of the companys letters stating her son was named for a Student Ambassador trip overseas. The woman's son, however, died in 1993. He was seven weeks old. People to People has blamed the company that handled its mailing list for these errors.

Tyler Hill, Minnesota teen who died on a 2007 People to People trip to Japan (Family photo)

Weve also learned that People to People used the name of a teenage boy who died one of its trips in a letter designed to recruit more students to participate in the Student Ambassador Programs. The teens parents said the company did not have permission to use their sons name and told us they were outraged People to Peoples marketing tactics.

Back in Texas, Mary and her husband -- a former teacher -- raised other concerns about the solicitation they received from Eisenhart. They questioned the professors decision to lend her name, academic title, and the schools stationery for a solicitation not authorized by the university.

My mom never lent her name out, Mary said. This sounds somewhat strange to meI think there are definitely some issues here that need to be addressed.

Im not as angry about this as I am baffled, she added. But if this is a scam, Im not happy that my mom is associated in any way.

The couple also said the universitys name and logo on the solicitation gave it credibility at least at first blush. And they wondered why -- or if -- the state-funded university would allow its name and stationery to be used in a solicitation for an outside company.

I immediately zeroed in on the letter because it was from a university, Mary said, adding CUs name was listed on the envelope. From a marketing standpoint, its a smart move, but if its inappropriate it needs to stop.

Solicitations about the trip, however, didnt stop.

A second letter

A few days after Mary and her husband received the first letter about the South Africa trip, another one arrived at their home. The second letter was also addressed to the same name that closely resembled Marys deceased mother.

It came from People to Peoples director of Professional Programs and solidified the relationship between Eisenhart and the travel company.

We are honored to have Dr. Eisenhart as the delegation leader, the companys Yvonne Trudeau wrote. Her guidance in the development of this project has been invaluable.

Trudeaus letter, however, isnt written on CU stationery. Its penned on People to People International (PPI) letterhead. PPI is a non-profit organization based in Kansas City, Missouri, that boasts about its ties to a former United States President.

Founded in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as a vehicle to expand international relations beyond the structure of government agencies, People to People International is a nonpolitical, private-sector organization dedicated to promoting international peace and understanding, Trudeaus wrote in her letter.

But Eisenhowers name is not listed on the incorporation records for PPI filed with the Missouri Secretary of State. Those records reveal Alfred Frankfurter, Franklin Murphy, and Joyce C. Hall incorporated the non-profit organization in October 1961.

ConsumerAffairs.com learned that PPI has a contractual agreement with the Ambassadors Group that allows the company to use People to Peoples name and logo when marketing the educational trips. Tax records show revenue from those trips is funneled back into the coffers of the PPI, which is run by President Eisenhowers granddaughter, Mary Eisenhower.

In her letter, Trudeau makes a strong sales pitch for academics to take the South Africa trip and warns they could lose their places if they dont respond quickly in writing and with their checkbooks.

To accept this invitation, please complete and return the enclosed application with a $500 per-person deposit as soon as possible, Trudeau states.

No comment

ConsumerAffairs.com contacted People to People Ambassador Programs about the solicitations and the use of CUs stationery in the marketing campaign. The company did not respond to our repeated inquiries. We also contacted Professor Eisenhart, but she didnt respond to our inquiries, either.

A CU spokesman told us the university wasnt aware of the solicitations -- and the use of its stationery in this recruiting effort -- until contacted by ConsumerAffairs.com.

Now that were aware of this, were certainly going to desist, spokesman Bronson R. Hilliard said. Our faculty are advised not to lend official stationery with department logo to anyone without clearing it first with the university. She (Professor Eisenhart) had not done that.

Weve spoken to her and her dean about this and they understand what went wrong and are fixing it, he added.

Hilliard confirmed that Eisenhart wrote the solicitation, but said she had no knowledge about how the mailing list was compiled or used.

She was asked to write a letter to recruit other people like herself to go on this trip with her, he said. She doesnt know any of the particulars about the mailing list. She was open about this and said she didnt know any of the details. She agreed to write the letter and assumed that it would go to other faculty.

Hilliard also told us that CU had no role in marketing the solicitation or generating the mailing list used. The university, he added, has no commercial ties to People to People or the Ambassadors Group and did not authorize them to use of its stationery or logo in the solicitation that is not sanctioned by CU.

Asked if CU is covering the cost for Eisenharts trip, Hilliard said: Her trip is paid for by People to People, but she is not paid by People to People. She receives no stipend or fee. He also confirmed that Eisenhart has taken previous trips with People to People and found them to be productive and enriching.

"Regrettable situation"

Hilliard called it a regrettable situation when he learned that Mary received a solicitation -- on CU stationery -- addressed to a name that closely resembled her deceased mother.

There was no harm intended (by CU or Eisenhart) to the good family of this deceased individual, he said.

Spokesman Greg Scholtz said professors are advised not to blur the lines between their private lives and their academic roles at a college or university. And he cited two AAUP policies that he said address this issue:

*The 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, which states, in part, that when speaking or writing as citizens, college professors should make every effort to indicate they are not speaking for the institution;

*The organizations Statement on Professional Ethics, which states that professors have the rights and obligations of other citizens. But when they speak or act as private persons, professors should avoid creating the impression of speaking or acting for their college or university.

Back in Boulder, Hilliard acknowledged that CU has not done a good job of communicating to its faculty where the boundaries are when lending their names -- or the universitys stationery for promotional activities.

Professor Eisenhart did not check with anyone about this and she didnt realize that she needed to check with anyone, he said. This is a wake-up call to our institution. We will be conducting training with our department chairs and the deans of our colleges and schools and make sure that information about those boundaries is passed on to our faculty.

We will go the extra mile to make sure the faculty knows that using our letterhead and symbols is not something you do without checking with us first.

Hilliard also said he will remind faculty members to thoroughly check the background of any organization or association before lending them their names and support.

I will urge them to do a little more research, ask those tough questions, and find out how theyre (the groups) are marketing themselves, he said, adding he shared the stories ConsumerAffairs.com has written about People to People with Eisenhart and her dean.

Im going to use this (experience) as a media training for our faculty, Hilliard told us. This is a teaching moment. And rest assured weve learned a lesson at CU Boulder.

A University of Colorado professor is under fire for lending her name and the universitys letterhead -- without authorization -- to recruit participants for an upcoming People to People trip to South Africa.

The solicitation has also irked a Texas couple, who say they received one of the letters addressed to a name that closely resembled a deceased family member.

This is the latest marketing gaffe involving the company that handles People to People trips and that has a his...

People To People Leaders Allegedly Drank Beer While Student Was Dying

Allegations made by family of deceased student Tyler Hill

08/07/2009 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

Four delegation leaders on a People to People trip -- in which a Minnesota teenager died -- drank beer in their Tokyo hotel room instead of getting the 16-year-old the medical assistance he requested after he climbed Mt. Fuji.

That is one of the startling findings released today by the teen's parents, who announced the official settlement of their civil action in the wrongful death lawsuit they filed in the wake their sons June 29, 2007, death.

The terms of the settlement are confidential, but Sheryl and Allen Hill are now sharing some of the details they learned -- during depositions and other legal proceedings -- about the death of their son, Tyler, on his "dream trip" to Japan.

The Hills filed their 2008 wrongful death lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court against Ambassadors Group, Inc. -- the company that markets the People to People trips and handles all the travel arrangements --, People to People Student Ambassador Programs, People to People International, a United Kingdom organization called docleaf Limited, two of its employees -- Larry McGonnell and Dr. David Perl -- and the four delegation leaders on Tyler's trip: Susan Stahr, Pat Veum-Smith, Josh Aberle, and Angela Hanson.

In that action, the family alleged that People to Peoples' delegation leaders refused to take Tyler to the hospital when he requested medical attention.

Tyler had Type 1 diabetes and complex migraine headaches conditions his family disclosed before he left on his overseas journey.

But the travel organization that touts its ties to President Dwight D. Eisenhower assured the Hills it had a solid safety record and a 24-hour response team that could handle any medical emergency.

That promise laid the foundation for the Hill's lawsuit, which alleged that no one with the organization responded to Tylers pleas for medical attention when he became sick after hiking Mt. Fuji and his death in the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center was the result of that negligence.

Earlier today, the family released more details surrounding Tyler's death.

"Sheryl Hill was told by one of the leaders that on June 26, 2009, Tyler thought he had altitude sickness after climbing Mt. Fuji, and he wanted to go the doctor," the Hills said in a statement. "The leader gave him water, and told him to go to his room and work through it."

At that point, the Hills learned, the four delegation leaders went to a hotel room and started drinking beer.

"Veum-Smith, Hanson, and Stahr joined Aberle in his room, where all of the leaders drank beer until sometime between 12:30 and 12:45 a.m.," the Hills said in todays statement.

Those comments appeared under the heading "Evidence before Hennepin Country Court."

"Tyler had been vomiting for hours and asked for enough water to feed a family," the statement continues. "He was held back for the day's activities; his heart stopped less than 10 hours later. Despite specific training to contact the parents or seek medical attention when a child shows 'moderate' signs of dehydration, no phone calls were made to the Hills until Tyler's heart had stopped for than an hour."

Tyler died of apparent "severe dehydration," the Hill said, adding all four delegation leaders had training on treating dehydration.

The Hills today also said they discovered:

• Two of the delegation leaders searched Tyler's belongings and took pictures of some items while he was in the hospital. "While Tyler was dying in the hospital, Aberle and Hanson went through Tyler's personal belongings and took photographs of his medications and insulin," the family's statement said.

• One of the delegation leaders was on a previous People to People Trip in which student died. "Stahr was a student ambassador leader on a trip to New Zealand where another student died," the Hill's statement said. "The Hills were not informed or her prior safety record."

Asked if the settlement resolves all the issues alleged in their lawsuit -- and brings the family peace -- Sheryl Hill told us: We asked for truth, justice, accountability, and restitution. Justice is an open window and I would accept any help."

The lawsuit, however, does resolve the issues of restitution and accountability, the family said in today's statement.

The Ambassadors' Group CEO Jeff Thomas has publicly apologized and acknowledged that his organization accepts some responsibility for Tyler's death.

"Through hindsight we can see that there are steps that all of the leaders should have taken that could have prevented Tyler's death on June 29, 2007, during a trip to Tokyo, Japan, and regret that they were not taken," Thomas said in a statement released in June. "We are very sorry for Tyler's death and the Hill Family's loss and the impact it has had on many. We continue to review all policies surrounding students with pre-existing conditions, including diabetes protocols, to refine our procedures."

The judge in the Hill's case also granted a motion permitting the family to amend their complaint and seek punitive damages against Ambassadors Group Inc. and others named in the action.

But does the settlement bring peace and solace to the Hill family -- Sheryl, Allen, and Alec -- who continue to grieve the loss of their beloved son and older brother?

The son and brother they lovingly called "Ty man a top athlete who had 'dominated' his diabetes and was known for his big smile and tender heart.

"I will have found peace when the Travelling Youth Standards of Safety law passes," Sheryl Hill told us today.

Since Tyler's death, the Hills have advocated for the safety for students participating in travel programs. "How could I (we) not do that?" Sheryl Hill said. "To not do that would be like tossing another kid in the fire."

The legislation the Hills support would ensure that safety measures, sanctions, and penalties are in place to protect students participating in various travel programs.

"No safety standards, sanctions or penalties exist to protect children's health and safety rights while entrusted to third parties, especially during travel programs," the Hills said in their statement today. "Children have been denied health care, died, hurt, abandoned, raped and suffered severe illnesses, while traveling with some student travel programs. There is currently no oversight committee dogging the student travel industry."

The Hills' efforts have the backing of two of Minnesota's Congressional leaders.

"I am extremely grateful to Senator Amy Klobuchar and Congressman Erik Paulsen for hearing me and supporting the advocacy for the safety of students on these trips," Sheryl Hill told us.

Her husband, Allen, added. "I think he would say that he was proud of us for sticking up for him and other children."

Another advocate of the Hills' legislative effort is Danielle Grijalva, director for the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students.

"I receive numerous complaints about other travel agencies from children and their parents about supervisors being intoxicated, molestations, children being denied health care when they are sick, unsanitary living quarters and 'unaccounted for' children," she said. "Parents need to inform themselves of the safety record of agencies and supervisors they are entrusting their kids to."

ConsumerAffairs.com has received complaints about students going missing, being "unaccounted" for unknown periods of times, becoming sick, or even struck by a car on recent People to People trips.

A single mom in New York told us her 11-year-old daughter was hit by a car during a recent People to People trip to France and England. The delegation leaders, however, did not disclose all the details of the accident to Heather M. of Schenectady, New York.

"I was informed that another child had bumped her into the narrow street of London and a small light car over her foot," she said. "(They said) nothing was broken and she was given two pain pills and told to take something over the counter for pain."

When her daughter returned home, however, Heather learned the accident was much more serious.

"She was struck - whole body -- by a car. Feet, legs, and arms," Heather said. "She had bruises on her foot, toe, ankle, arm, and stomach. She traveled in an ambulance to the ER - something I was not told on the day of incident.

"We had a follow-up with her pediatrician, who said she was a very lucky little girl," she added. "Only time will tell what will come from her injuries in the future."

People to People offered no apologies for the accident, Heather said. Instead, the organization sent her a bill for the delegation leader's lunch at the hospital and travel to and from the medical facility.

"I am to pay for the delegation leader that was to be watching my child?" Heather asked. "I spent about $6,000 for my daughter to come back in fear and (feeling) that she never wants to do a People to People "adventure" again."

A Kansas mom also told us her 17-year-old daughter lost several pounds on a recent People to People trip because the delegation leaders did not -- as promised address the teenager's severe food allergies and other medical issues.

"My daughter has asthma, a severe milk allergy, immune deficiency and is anemic," Karen D. of Louisburg, Kansas, told us. "If she eats or drinks too many dairy products it will trigger an asthma attack.

"I informed the organization of my daughter's health issues prior to her leaving and they assured me they could handle any medical issues."

During the trip, however, Karen's daughter called home and said she couldn't eat off the "required" People to People menu because it contained too many dairy products.

Karen immediately wired her daughter $300 for pay for food she could eat. The worried mom also sent an e-mail to the delegation leaders reminding them of her daughter's health issues.

The delegation leaders, however, ignored Karen's concerns. "She (my daughter) was never allowed to buy her own food. My daughter went up to the delegation leaders many times and said she couldn't eat what's on menu. But they said thats all you can haveyou have to eat off the People to People menu."

She added: "Instead of contacting me to see what we could do about this, they retaliated against my daughter by harassing her, insulting her dignity, character, and causing her asthma to flare up."

"She's a tiny thing," Karen says. "She cannot afford to lose that weight. She also came home with raspy voice as well as shallow breathing, and for a week after the trip had to use her breathing machine for heavy duty treatments to get her lungs back on track."

In retrospect, though, Karen says she's lucky her daughter didn't suffer more serious health problems during -- and after -- the trip.

"I think about Tyler Hill and worry that could have been my daughter, too," says Karen, who is still trying to get answers from People to People about her concerns. "I could have gotten a call that said she had a serious asthma attack. And what would they (the delegation leaders) have done? These people need to be trained."

"I know I got very lucky."

ConsumerAffairs.com also confirmed that three American students traveling abroad on recent People to People trips went missing or were unaccounted for an unknown period of time. The Ambassadors Group is also facing a class action lawsuit, which alleges the organization's directors issued misleading and overly optimistic statements about the company's financial future.

ConsumerAffairs.com contacted People to People today regarding the Hill's statements and the recent complaints leveled against the organization. The company did not respond to our inquiries.

Back in Minnesota, Sheryl Hill offered some advice to parents who are considering letting their children participate in a student travel program.

"You have to check out the organization and its leaders," she said. "You have to ask tough questions. The leaders on Tyler's trip were senior leaders -- they had been on previous trips."

"You also need to find out the organization's alcohol policies. And make sure you have a passport so you can get your child (immediately) if you need to. If, at any point, you feel your child is in danger call the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)."

Hill and Grijalva also recommend that parents contact foreign police authorities to report abuse and then contact local, state and federal agencies to report child endangerment.

Four delegation leaders on a People to People trip -- in which a Minnesota teenager died -- drank beer in their Tokyo hotel room instead of getting the 16-year-old the medical assistance he requested after he climbed Mt. Fuji.

That is one of the startling findings released today by the teen's parents, who announced the official settlement of their civil action in the wrongful death lawsuit they filed in the wake their sons June 29, 2007, death.

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American Teens Go Missing on People to People Trips

Parents outraged at mishaps; company disclaims responsibility

07/27/2009 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

Three American teenagers traveling abroad on People to People Student Ambassador trips have -- in the past few weeks -- gone missing or been unaccounted for for an unknown period of time, ConsumerAffairs.com has learned.

All the students returned unharmed, but the cases have sparked concerns by parents and an advocacy group for exchange students about why the travel organization that touts its extraordinary safety record isnt keeping a closer eye on children who are thousands of miles from home.

They (People to People) are supposed to watch the kids like a hawk, said Danielle Grijalva, director of the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students. That is their responsibility. They should be watching to see if there are enough leaders to properly supervise the group so students do not wander off. The onus is on them (People to People) to be more diligent.

These missing students reports are the latest in a serious of troubling events facing the student travel organization.

Earlier this month, a securities class action lawsuit was filed against the company that markets People to Peoples student trips and handles all the travel arrangements, The Ambassadors Group (EPAX). The lawsuit alleges the organizations directors issued misleading and overly optimistic statements about the company's financial future.

And just last month, the parties involved in the wrongful death lawsuit of a Minnesota teenager who died on a 2007 People to People trip to Japan reached a confidential settlement in the case. The lawsuit alleged that People to Peoples Student Ambassador Group and its delegation leaders refused to get 16-year-old Tyler Hill the medical attention he requested -- and charged that his June 29, 2007, death in Tokyo was the result of their negligence.

These latest worrisome cases involve a 15-year-old California girl who went missing for at least 24 hours in Paris and a 14-year-old Missouri boy and teenage girl from Iowa who wandered off from a July 4th People to People-sponsored BBQ in England and were unsupervised for an unknown amount of time.

The Missouri boys mom is outraged that People to Peoples delegation leaders did not notice the teenagers absence.

These are kids who are 13 to 15 years old and they were able to leave this event and go to an unsupervised location, says the mom, who did not want to be identified because of fear of retribution by People to People and its delegation leaders. They went to another classroom in the school and we still dont know how long they were unaccounted for. But nobody noticed they were gone or when they returned.

The boys mom acknowledged that her son -- who just turned 14 -- shouldnt have left the group and agrees he should be held accountable for his actions.

I have no problem with there being reasonable consequences to my child's behavior, she told us. However, the fact that two children were able to separate from the group and to remain unsupervised for an undetermined amount of time is very disturbing.

Its also disturbing, she says, that eight days passed before People to Peoples delegation leaders learned that her son and the other teenager left the event.

One of the delegation leaders called me on July 12th to tell me my son had violated People to Peoples policies, the mom says. Someone ratted the kids out and what happened got back to the delegation leaders. But had it not gotten back to them, no one would have known they had gone missing.

When the boys mom followed up with People to Peoples national office in Spokane, Washington, a company representative told her the organization shouldnt be expected to keep tabs on students all the time. She said that People to Peoples representative, Wanda Lashbrook, also said the four delegation leaders on the trip couldnt watch the 40 students in the group every second.

Ms. Lashbrook (said) that People to People believes I should not expect them to know the whereabouts of children under their care at all times during trips to foreign countries, the mom told us. And when confronted with such an occurrence will vehemently deny any wrongdoing on the part of People to People or delegate leaders.

The mom adds: What incensed me the most was when Ms. Lashbrook said you send your son to school everyday and he is not supervised. I told her he is supervised and if this had happened at school I would be up in arms. I also told her thats irrelevant because Im not paying seven-grand for promises of safety.

No apologies

People to Peoples defensiveness about the situation -- and the moms concerns -- didnt stop there. The mom says Lashbrook also told her:

• Students are free to go to the restroom on their own and her son could have sneaked off without a supervisor noticing he was gone. But I was assured the students were not allowed to go to the bathroom by themselves, the mom says.

• Students are required to sign a contract which states they understand the behavior policies of People to People. That means any misbehavior by students on the trip is their fault and not the responsibility of the delegation leaders.

My son is 14 years old, so signing a contract does not release the leaders from responsibility and liability for actions the delegates may engage in while under their care, the mom says. If all it took was a contract to regulate the behavior of an unsupervised minor, adolescence would be a very easy period of time for parents and I would not have needed to pay People to People for adult supervision during this trip.

People to Peoples representative even blamed the 14-year-olds decision to leave the BBQ on poor parenting skills.

Ms. Lashbrook said that given that fact that my son violated a People to People rule, my parenting skills should be questioned -- not their ability to supervise children, the mom told us. My son is a Scholastic and Citizenship Honor Roll student. He knows these behaviors are not tolerated and hes never engaged in these types of behaviors before. These behaviors happened oversees while he was under someone elses watch.

The Missouri mom says shell never trust People to People -- or its delegation leaders with her children again. I wouldnt risk it.

And now that shes learned how poorly the organization supervised her son, she regrets sending him on the 19-day European adventure.

I would have never sent my son on a trip overseas if I knew that People to People did not take responsibility for their supervision at all times, she says. After all, how long does it take for a child to experience harm if they are on their own in a foreign country? What amount of time is acceptable for People to People to not provide for the protection and supervision of my child?

People to People, however, did an excellent job supervising her son on a previous trip he took with the organization to Australia. Thats why his European journey is so disturbing, she says.

The reason I sent my son on this trip was that he had such a wonderful experience on his first People to People trip two years ago to Australia. But this trip was definitely different than his previous People to People trip. It had a whole different flavor.

I should have seen some of the reds flags, she adds. This trip was just so disorganized. When we got to the airport, they maybe did one head count of the kids. The kids were much less prepared and the delegation leaders did not seem vested in the kids or put the kids as their top priority.

Another case

Earlier this month, another teenager went missing on a People to People trip to Paris, France. That case involved 15-year-old Alexis Brown of Vacaville, California.

She went missing on July 10 and was missing for at least 24 hours, Sgt. Ian Schmutzler with the Vacaville Police Department told us. Alexis had apparently left the group on two separate occasions and she was chastised by the chaperones for doing so.

Surveillance cameras videotaped Alexis leaving the hotel by herself and police discovered her ATM card was used after her disappearance.

Shortly after she was discovered missing, the groups leaders contacted Paris authorities and Alexis parents in Vacaville, Sgt. Schmutzler said. The parents made a missing persons report through the Vacaville Police Department as French authorities began searching for her.

Alexis, who had been in Europe for five days prior to her disappearance, was found unharmed on July 11, police said. But Sgt. Schmutzler said he did not know where Alexis went during the time she was missing.

ConsumerAffairs.com contacted People to People about the missing students. The company did not respond to our inquiry.

ConsumerAffairs.com also contacted Danielle Grijalva with Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students about the missing students. Those cases, she said, raise serious concerns about People to Peoples ability to supervise the students on its trips.

It appears that People to People recognizes and openly admits to the problem of it being impossible to supervise 40 kids at a time. So theyve recognized a problem and failed to come up with a solution.

She adds: People to People needs to make it so that this is no longer an impossibility or a problem. After all, were talking about children. And its very common for there to be instances in which children wander off or even instances in which they (students) become victimized.

Misplaced blame

Its also inexcusable, she said, for People to People to blame a parent for the companys lack of supervision.

To attack a moms parenting skills is irrelevant. They accepted that moms money -- they took her money -- and they entered in an agreement. To later question her parenting skills is wrong and irrelevant," she said. But its so common for many in the student exchange industry to constantly blame anyone besides themselves.

Grijalva and other advocates for students involved in travel and exchange programs say parents who have concerns about People to People or similar organizations should contact the attorney general of their state, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Im hopeful parents will get mad enough to come forward and play an active role to prohibit things like these from happening again, Grijalva said.

Back in Missouri, the 14-year-olds mom vows to hold People to People accountable for its lack of supervision on her sons trip. Shes already filed a complaint with the BBB and now plans to contact the states attorney general.

The safety of children -- especially those traveling overseas -- should never be taken lightly, she says.

After Tyler Hills death, I wonder why more parents are not up in arms about this organization. The kids are these trips are not kids whove been in trouble before. But the people who are supposed to be watching them are not keeping an eye on them.

People to People talks about how these kids are ambassadors for the United States, but (these recent cases of student missing) do not represent the adults of the United States very well.

Three American teenagers traveling abroad on People to People Student Ambassador trips have -- in the past few weeks -- gone missing or been unaccounted for for an unknown period of time, ConsumerAffairs.com has learned.

All the students returned unharmed, but the cases have sparked concerns by parents and an advocacy group for exchange students about why the travel organization that touts its extraordinary safety record isnt keeping a closer eye on children who are...

Student Travel Service Still Misleading Parents

Students "Recommended" for Study Abroad? Not Quite

09/12/2006 | ConsumerAffairs

By Joseph S. Enoch

Despite having its wrist slapped by the Iowa attorney general, consumers complain that People to People International is still misleading families about how their children are "selected" for study-aboard programs.

People to People is a nonprofit study-abroad program for children kindergarten through 12th grade. The nonprofit sends letters to families nationwide saying their student "has been recommended for the honor by a teacher, former student ambassador or national academic listing."

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said this was misleading after his office received a complaint from an Iowa mother who received a letter (image below) saying her son, who died in 1993 at seven weeks of age, had been "recommended."

"We understand a student generally must pay about $5,000 to go on one of the trips abroad," Miller said in a prepared statement. "We conveyed our concern to People to People that parents who are induced to believe that their child was selected on merit are potentially misled, and may be improperly manipulated into making substantial expenditures they might otherwise decline to make."

As a result, People to People agreed to take out the offending sentence in their letters to Iowans and they also donated $20,000 to Blank Children's Hospital and $5,000 to the Iowa SIDS Foundation -- charities supported by the family of the child who died in 1993.

However, People to People apparently feels no real remorse.

"I received a letter today (9/9/2006) from People to People International that my 10-year-old son had been invited to travel and study in Australia in 2007," wrote Cherie of Hemlock, N.Y. "It stated that he has been named for the honor by a teacher, former student ambassador or national academic listing.

"I read your article about the mother whose deceased child received the same honor and that People to People agreed to revise their letters," Cherie continued. "People to People sent my son the same letter -- it has not been revised. ... I feel that People to People are deceiving us by saying that our children have been named for the honor when most likely they bought the name from a mailing list."

In a letter to People to People's lawyer, Miller's assistant attorney general, Steve St. Clair wrote, "We ultimately determined that one of the ways students are 'selected' to receive an invitation from People to People is through a comprehensive national listing of persons projected to be students within a targeted age range. This explains why the mother of the infant who died a dozen years ago received an invitation, even though her child was never a student, let alone an 'outstanding' student recommended for an 'honor.'"

"We thought it was misleading," said Bob Brammer, Miller's spokesperson. Brammer said he hopes that media coverage will force People to People to end their misleading practices in other states.

"What happened in Iowa is happening elsewhere," Brammer said.

People to People did not return three phone calls seeking comment about its practices.

To help stop People to People's misleading practices, consumers who receive letters from the organization should contact their state's attorney general and file a complaint with ConsumerAffairs.com. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are furnished to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors upon request.

Despite having its wrist slapped by the Iowa attorney general, consumers complain that People to People International is still misleading families about how their children are "selected" for study-aboard programs.

People to People is a nonprofit study-abroad program for children kindergarten through 12th grade. The nonprofit sends letters to families nationwide saying their student "has been recommended for the honor by a teacher, former student ambassador or nation...

People to People Uses Dead Student's Name as Recruiting Tool

Promise to remove Tyler Hill's name from database goes unfilled

05/12/2009 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

Tyler Hill (Family photo)

The parents of a Minnesota teenager who died on a 2007 People to People trip to Japan are outraged by the organizations latest marketing tactics: Sheryl and Allen Hill learned People to People recently used their deceased sons name, without their permission, in a letter designed to recruit more students to participate in the organizations Student Ambassador Programs.

It hurts, Sheryl said, fighting back tears. We feel tormented by themthey never stop. They continue to torment my family and my community.

Tyler Hill, 16, died in a Tokyo hospital on June 29, 2007, after People to People's delegation leaders allegedly failed to get him the medical attention he requested.

Tyler had Type 1 diabetes and complex migraine headaches — conditions his parents disclosed before their son left on his overseas journey. People to People, an organization that touts its ties to former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, assured the Hills it had a solid safety record and a 24-hour response team that could handle any medical emergency.

That failed promise is at the heart of a wrongful death lawsuit that is currently pending in Minnesota's Hennepin County District Court. The lawsuit alleges the organization and its delegation leaders refused to get Tyler the medical attention he requested after he and his group hiked Mount Fuji — and charges that his death was the result of their negligence.

Now the Hills have learned that People to People failed to honor another promise — to remove Tylers names from the organizations database. Last month, People to People sent a letter, using Tylers name, to Judd Griffith of Mound, Minnesota. Hes the Hills' friend who recommended Tyler for the 2007 trip to Japan.

Thank you for your prior support of People to People Student Ambassador Programs by providing a recommendation for Tyler Hill, states the letter, which is signed by Mary Jean Eisenhower, President and CEO of People to People International and President Eisenhowers granddaughter. The information you supplied was invaluable during our delegate interview and selection process.

The letter invites Griffith to nominate other students to participate in a 2010 People to People Ambassador Program.

Having served as a reference for a Student Ambassador candidate, you are already familiar with our program and likely know other outstanding young people who would contribute to and gain from an educational journey, Eisenhower writes.

Incensed

The letter incensed Griffith.

Whats disturbing to me is that I know in my initial letter I attested to Tylers character, and in that, I related a story about the health issues hes had and how hes overcome them, Griffith says. What bothers me about this letter is that it states my initial letter was used to evaluate, interview, and determine if he (Tyler) was a candidate. And yet look at how they failed miserably to care for him.

This (diabetes) was a known issue that Tyler had and they absolutely failed (to care for him). Why cant they come out publicly and say we really messed up? he asked. Griffith is also appalled that People to People would use Tylers name to lure more students.

To have this letter come and ask me for more names was a real slap in the face and a wake up call as to how they do or dont do business, he says, adding hes had pangs of sorrow that Tyler became involved with the organization. And then to read Mary Eisenhowers name of itthat totally incensed me that they could be so brain dead and not have a conscience."

The Hills understand their friends anger and appreciate his concern.

I know Judd was so hurt by this, Sheryl told us. He was also furious. I am so angrywe dont deserve this. We were guaranteed that they took our sons name out of their database shortly after he died.

Not what it seems?

Although the letter is signed by Mary Jean Eisenhower — and refers to her famous grandfather — it did not come from the non-profit People to People International based in Kansas City, Missouri.

The postmark and address on the letter go to the for-profit Ambassadors Group, Inc., a publicly traded company (EPAX) based in Spokane, Washington. That company markets the educational trips for students using People to Peoples letterhead and handles all the travel arrangements.

• People To People Student Ambassador Programs; • People To People Sports Ambassador Programs; • People To People Leadership Programs; and • People to People Citizen Ambassador Programs.

During a previous interview with ConsumerAffairs.com, Eisenhower told us her organization has partnered with the Ambassador Group since 1963: Weve had a long, legitimate relationship with them, she said. Theyre more than a travel agency. They do all our logistics.

The Ambassador Group also puts money in People To People Internationals coffers. Revenue generated from the trips it markets goes into People To People Internationals operating budget.

Jeffery D. Thomas is president and CEO of Ambassadors Group, Inc. We contacted him about the People to People letter that uses Tyler Hills name. He did not return our call. ConsumerAffairs.com also contacted Mary Jean Eisenhower about the letter that uses Tylers names. A spokeswoman for People to People International referred us to attorney, Don Lolli. He did not return our call, either.

Not the first time

This isnt the first time consumers have complained about the marketing tactics used by People to People. In recent years, ConsumerAffairs.com has repeatedly exposed how People to People used misleading marketing tactics to recruit students for its expensive, overseas trips.

Our stories revealed:

• The organization came under fire in 2005 by the Iowa Attorney General's office for sending a letter to a mother, which stated her son was named for a Student Ambassador trip overseas. Her son, however, had died in 1993. He was seven weeks old. Iowa officials did not take legal action against People to People. The organization later donated $5,000 to Iowa's SIDS Foundation and $20,000 to Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines;

• The organization has twice in recent years sent recruitment letters for its overseas programs to the parents of a deceased baby girl in Florida. The couple's daughter died from multiple birth defects in 1992. She was 18 days old. People to People said it was "absolutely devastated" this happened and blamed the company that compiled its mailing lists for the errors;

• In 2006, the organization sent a recruitment letter to the parents of an Earl Gray in Arkansas. Earl Gray, however, was the couple's white, one-eyed, cat. He died ten years earlier and is buried in the family's back yard. He was 14-years- old;

ConsumerAffairs.com has also heard from scores of parents nationwide who say the organizations letters — which arrive in official looking envelopes that hype People to Peoples ties to eight former presidents — duped their children into believing they were specially chosen for these trips, which cost an average of $5,000.

My bright, artistic, 4th grade daughter (9 1/2 years old) came home from school very proud one day, says Dena L. of Verona, Pennsylvania. Her teacher told her that she was choosing my daughter out of the whole school and that we would get information about it in the mail.

Well, today, the teacher sent home the letter she received from People to People, asking her to nominate her best students. At first read, my heart swelled. I thought, my little girl has been picked for something very special.

On closer examination, though, Dena discovered this wasnt the honor it appeared.

Some text of the letter, supposedly from Eisenhower's granddaughter states: I am pleased to invite you to nominate your most outstanding students to attend the People to People World Leadership Forum in the 2009-2010 academic year, Dena told us. After reading a second time, I thought, students? If it were truly selective, multiple nominations wouldn't be offered to the teacher.

Dena researched People to People and learned its letters have deceived many parents — and their children.

At the end of the day, I am totally honored that my daughter's teacher thought so much of her to nominate her for what she thought was an adventure, Dena says. (But) the application will go in the trash and I will let my daughter's teacher know that P2P isn't what they claim to be.

She added: The whole thing breaks my heart. It is a crying shame that Presidents' names are on this letter disgusting! After reading that P2P doesn't even run the trips, (it) makes me sick. This isn't a harmless nomination scam like Whos Who in high school. This has a real potential for misleading parents and children.

People to People acknowledges that all students its contacts arent specially chosen for the trips. The organization admits its uses list service companies that compile and sell the names of students nationwide.

Eisenhower has also told us the organization gets names from parents and teachers who nominate students. Other nominations, she said, come from those whove traveled with the organization. Private individuals can also nominate students on the organizations Web site.

But ConsumerAffairs.com discovered People To Peoples Web site doesnt ask for any supporting information about the studentor their qualifications for the program.

Not even human

It also doesnt do background checks on the nominees to verify theyre even human.

Consider the 13-year-old, who recently told us she nominated her brothers pet iguana for one of People to Peoples trips. The lizard later received a letter from People to People stating he had achieved academic excellence and been nominated by a teacher.

This goes to show that there is not even a basic check on names submitted to this organization, the student told us. It is a complete scam.

Some parents also say People to People refused to refund their money — even when they had to cancel their childs trips for medical reasons. Thats what happened to Donna T. of Lawrenceville, Georgia. Her son, Nick, couldnt go on his People to People trip because of serious health issues.

I called the 800-number (for People to People) today to find out about receiving my down-payment refund and I was told that he would only receive $155 of the $400 back, she told us. When I asked about the other $245, I was told by Annette that the $245 was for insurance. Insurance for whom? My son isn't attending.

Donna is furious that People to People wont issue refunds when students cant take the trips for medical reasons.

I was trying to get my son to Europe, an opportunity that he may never get, and because of his health issues, he cannot attend, she says. Now, this really sounds like a racket. I am mad. I am a single mother whose child has taken a drastic turn for the worse (unexpectedly) in his health. I wanted to give him this and now he can't go, through no fault of our own."

She adds: I will be very curious to find out how many people have been taken in by this scam. I will not stop until this is stopped — and I get my entire $400 back. Furthermore, when I called this morning and talked to Annette and explained to her that my son might be dying, she basically laughed and said too bad, I signed a document and I'm only going to get the $155 back.

But medical issues apparently arent worrisome to People to People, which continues to brag about its health and safety record, even in the wake of Tyler Hills death.

For over 50 years, People to People Ambassador Programs has helped more than 400,000 program participants travel to seven continents while maintaining an extraordinary track record of safety, the organization states on its Web site.

People to People also continues to tout its ties to former President Eisenhower, claiming he founded the organization. Mary Jean Eisenhower reiterated that claim in the marketing letter that uses Tyler Hills name.

Through this experience, students can enhance their academic achievements while fulfilling the vision my grandfather, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, had for promoting peace through understanding when he founded People to People International in 1956, she writes.

Founding documents

But President Eisenhowers name is not listed on the incorporation records filed with the Missouri Secretary of States office for a non-profit organization called People to People.

The purpose of that organization, founded on October 31, 1961, is to encourage and promote in every way possible contacts between citizens of the United States and people of other lands, that will increase understanding to the end that there may be a lasting and enduring peace. This non-profit People to People organization was incorporated by Alfred Frankfurter, Franklin Murphy, and Joyce C. Hall, according to records with the Missouri Secretary of States Office.

A New York Times story dated June 10, 1958, states the People to People Foundation was formed to "implement a 1956 proposal by President Eisenhower to promote international understanding. That non-profit foundation, the paper wrote, was organized in 1957 and President Eisenhower served as its honorary chairman. The 1958 Times article also stated that the People to People Foundation had recently dissolved because it had served its purpose.

Back in Minnesota, the Hills have contacted postal authorities about People to Peoples marketing letter that uses their sons name without their permission.

ConsumerAffairs.com has also learned the Hills recently reached a confidential agreement with People to People International in the wrongful death lawsuit they filed in connection with their sons death.

Litigation, however, is still pending against the other parties named in that action: The Ambassadors Group, Inc., People to People Student Ambassador Programs, a United Kingdom organization called docleaf Limited, and the delegation leaders on Tyler's trip. A trial date is set for July in that case.

The parents of a Minnesota teenager who died on a 2007 People to People trip to Japan are outraged by the organizations latest marketing tactics: Sheryl and Allen Hill learned People to People recently used their deceased sons name, without their permission, in a letter designed to recruit more students to participate in the organizations Student Ambassador Programs.

It hurts, Sheryl said, fighting back tears. We feel tormented by themthey never stop. They con...

People to People: How Selective Is It?

11/20/2006 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

People to People International has impeccable credentials and some very impressive stationery. Its honorary chairs start with its founder, the late President Dwight D. Eisenhower and include nearly every President since then, up to and including George W. Bush.

President Eisenhower wanted the organization to further peace and understanding through international student exchange programs, and by most standards, it has succeeded admirably, operating for decades to nearly universal praise and commendation.

But more recently, the organization has come under fire for its recruiting methods. Its letter to prospective student "ambassadors" give the impression the student has been specially chosen when, in fact, many of the names come from lists the organization purchased.

Questions were raised earlier this year when the organization sent an invitation to an Iowa child who had been dead for years. The state's attorney general investigated and People to People agreed to modify its practices.

People to People International has impeccable credentials and some very impressive stationery. Its honorary chairs start with its founder, the late President Dwight D. Eisenhower and include nearly every President since then, up to and including George W. Bush.

President Eisenhower wanted the organization to further peace and understanding through international student exchange programs, and by most standards, it has succeeded admirably, operating for decades to ne...

Minnesota youth's family sues People to People

01/29/2008 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

Sheryl Hill hugged her 16-year-old son a little tighter -- and a littler longer than usual -- shortly before he boarded a plane last summer and took off on his much anticipated People to People Student Ambassador trip to Japan.

The Mound, Minnesota, woman took a mental picture of their last moments together at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport recalling every detail of the excitement in her son's big brown eyes, his brilliant smile, and even the burgundy polo s...

People to People: Ambassadors or Tourists?

Kids told they're specially chosen to be a "Student Ambassador"

It made her believe a non-profit organization founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower had hand-picked her to be a Student Ambassador for an educational trip overseas.

"My daughter thought she was so special when she received a letter saying she was nominated for this trip," says Regina G. of Brooklyn, New York. "She was ecstatic. She was on Cloud Nine thinking that someone nominated her."

The letter had the same effect on a 15-year-old Linden, New Jersey, girl.

"We went to the mailbox together and when she saw the letter and opened it, she was ecstatic," says Crystal B., the teenager's mom. "I was ecstatic, too. The letter made it seem like something was being bestowed on you for all your hard work. And I've always told my daughter that if you do well and work hard, you'll be rewarded. That's what we thought this was."

And why wouldn't they?

The letter Crystal -- and thousands of other parents -- received from the organization stated their children were eligible for these "educational exploration programs ... and named for this honor by a teacher, former Student Ambassador, or national academic listing."

But parents across the country say the letter is a misleading marketing gimmick designed to lure them into sending their children on oversea trips that cost thousands of dollars.

Complaints Nationwide

In the past two months, ConsumerAffairs.com has received nearly 30 complaints from parents nationwide about the organization's marketing tactics and its letter. On the other hand, those who actually take the overseas seem relatively content; as of this writing, we've received only one complaint from a parent whose child was disappointed with her journey.

Parents we interviewed are outraged by the deceptive tactics the organization -- founded to promote world peace -- used to market its educational programs abroad.

Parents say the letter, which arrives in an official-looking envelope that touts the organization's ties to eight United States Presidents, duped their children into believing they were specially chosen for these trips.

Many say their children's classmates received the same letter -- even students who struggle academically.

They also learned the organization bought their child's name from a company that compiles and sells the names of students nationwide.

"Why Did They Lie To Me?"

"I'm really angry they lied to me," says Tracie Y. of Niagara Falls, New York, whose ten-year-old son received an invitation to travel overseas. "These are kids we're talking about and you have to be honest with them.

"When I got the letter, I thought this was a good thing and that it was legitimate," she adds. "I was ready to take out a second mortgage on my house so my son could go on this trip. His dream has always been to go to France, and he thought this was his opportunity. His hopes were totally up. When he found out that everyone got this letter, my son asked 'why did they lie?'"

Trouble In Iowa

He's not the only one asking that question.

Earlier this year, the Iowa Attorney General's Office criticized the group's marketing letter, saying it misled parents into "believing that their child was selected on merit when that is not the case, and that parents may be manipulated into making substantial expenditures they might otherwise decline to make."

That action came after an Iowa mother -- whose infant son died in 1993 -- received a letter in September, 2005, stating a teacher, former Student Ambassador, or national academic listing named her child for a 20-day trip to Europe.

"The letter raised concerns that parents were being led to believe that their child had been chosen for an honor based on recommendations or academic performance, criteria that could not possibly have applied to the infant who died years ago at seven weeks of age," Assistant Attorney General Steve St. Clair wrote in a letter to the group's attorney.

Iowa officials also discovered the misleading tactics didn't end with the letter.

"We later learned that in-person presentations to families who received the invitation letter also convey the message that students are specially selected as an honor," St. Clair wrote. "And we found that representatives with whom our investigator had phone contact described the program in the same manner."

The Attorney General's Office did not take issue with the merits of the Student Ambassador trips aboard. Its investigation only focused on the organization's letter and its marketing tactics.

Earlier this summer, the organization agreed to modify its letter and presentations.

Parents Say Organization Continues To Deceive Students

But parents who contacted ConsumerAffairs.com say the organization continues to deceive students and exploit their dreams to travel abroad.

Tricia W. of Barnegat, New Jersey, says her daughter received one of the organization's letters on October 2, 2006. "My daughter opened the letter and she was ecstatic," Tricia says. "She thought it was spectacular that someone thought all these lovely things about her."

But her excitement soon turned to heartbreak.

"When I informed my daughter of the complaints I'd read about the organization, she was devastated," Tricia says, adding her 14-year-old daughter suffers from depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. "She was very upset because she was led to believe she was specially chosen for this trip overseas. It made her feel special to get this invitation. And it was hard to explain to her that she still is special, and that in no way does this misleading letter mean she's not.

"It's awful what they're doing to children."

Other parents agree.

"It's misleading and it's wrong," says Crystal B. of Linden, New Jersey, whose teenage daughter received a letter from the organization in September, 2006. "The initial excitement my daughter felt when she received the letter was just like getting free tickets to Walt Disney World.

"When I told my daughter what I'd learned about the organization, she was completely crushed. She really wanted to do this and we'd talked about how we could raise the money. This is a scam. Anything with a hidden agenda is a scam and this letter had a hidden agenda."

Regina G. of Brooklyn, New York, is appalled by the organization's marketing tactics.

"This is fraud," she says, adding her teenage daughter received an invitation from the organization in September, 2006. "Here I was getting ready to collect funds so my daughter could go on this trip and then I find out it's garbage. How dare they do this.

"When I found out this letter was nothing but trickery, it was devastating -- to me as a parent and to my child."

Complaints Across the Country

Parents across the country, whose children received one of the organization's letters in the past two months, echo Regina's outrage and concerns.

Consider these comments they shared during interviews with ConsumerAffairs.com:

• Anna S. of Indianapolis, Indiana: "My 14-year-old son received a letter stating he was nominated to go on a trip to Australia. He's a bright kid and thought he'd done something special. He was very disappointed when I told him that I went online and found out this organization was a sham."

• Pam V. of Sheboygan, Wisconsin: "I was ready to send my 15-year-old twin boys to a foreign country with an organization that I was led to believe nominated them based on their achievements. Knowing this is not true, I wonder if the organization has misled me regarding other issues as well -- including safety and the screening of leaders. I think they've become an expensive travel agency for what they're charging. It's not worth it."

• Becki W. of Selah, Washington: "It's very misleading and emotionally harmful to kids. I thought it was legitimate because it had a list of all the past presidents who were associated with the organization. But as I thought about it more, no one said why my (14-year-old) daughter was nominated. If they're just trying to sell parents on these overseas trips for their kids, they need to be more aboveboard in their approach."

• Patricia S. of New Windsor, New York: "It's pretty deceptive to say your child is nominated to go on these overseas trips when they've gotten their name from a list. I learned this was just a marketing technique. I don't know if the programs are any good, but the trips should definitely not be presented like they're some honor. Parents need to be wary and investigate the organization fully."

It made her believe a non-profit organization founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower had hand-picked her to be a Student Ambassador for an educational trip overseas.

"My daughter thought she was so special when she received a letter saying she was nominated for this trip," says Regina G. of Brooklyn, New York. "She was ecstatic. She was on Cloud Nine thinking that someone nominated her."

People To People's CEO "Mortified" by Recruiting Letter

People to People: "Ambassadors" or Tourists?

11/20/2006 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

The non-profit organization behind the "you've been chosen" recruiting letter inviting students to be "ambassadors" on one of its international tours is People To People International, which President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded in 1956.

People To People International is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. President Eisenhower's granddaughter, Mary Jean Eisenhower, is the group's president and chief executive officer.

She recently sat down with ConsumerAffairs.com to discuss parents' concerns about the organization's marketing tactics and the problems in Iowa.

"I was mortified when that happened," Eisenhower says of the letter sent to the woman who lost an infant son. "I've lost a baby so I know how devastating that is.

"What happened in Iowa was an unfortunate mistake caused by a mailing list," she adds, pointing out the Attorney General's Office did not file any charges against her organization. "It was human error, and it unfortunately caused people to doubt our mission. We are sincerely sorry people feel misled or hurt. Believe me, nobody wants to dupe anybody."

Eisenhower says her organization donated $5,000 to the Iowa SIDS Foundation and $20,000 to Blank Children's Hospital in honor of the baby who died.

Wording Of The Letter Changed

People To People has also changed the wording of its letter, Eisenhower says.

"It now says 'you're invited' to go on a trip and talks more about People To People," she says, adding the changes were made to all the letters -- not just the ones sent Iowa parents.

Those revisions, however, didn't go into effect until mid-October. Eisenhower says the original letters were already processed and couldn't be pulled. That's why parents received invitations stating their children were "named" for the Student Ambassador Program as recently as early October.

Eisenhower also apologized to every student who believes the organization deceived them -- or made them think they weren't special. "I feel awful that the letter made any child feel that way. They are special."

Eisenhower says her organization is "very selective" about the students invited to take one of its trips. And invitations are only sent to academic achievers.

"The mailing list we use contains the names of good academic students and students who are receptive to learning about other cultures," she says. "The kids then go through a screening process, they write essays, and they put in a certain amount of community service. These are very special kids we pick."

How Does People To People Get Names?

Eisenhower says the names of potential student ambassadors are generated from three sources:

• A mailing list compiled by the American Student List company; • Nominations from parents and teachers; and • Nominations from individuals who've traveled with the organization.

Private individuals can also nominate students on the organization's Web site.

But ConsumerAffairs.com discovered People To People's Web site doesn't ask for any supporting information about the student -- or their qualifications for the program. It doesn't even ask for the name of the person making the nomination.

ConsumerAffairs.com reporter Joseph Enoch nominated himself to be a People To People Student Ambassador.

Enoch soon received letters stating he was recommended for the Student Ambassador program and the organization had identified him "as a remarkable and motivated student."

Eisenhower says she was unaware the organization's Web site didn't ask for background information on student nominees.

"There should be a place on there that says why this student is being nominated," she says. "I will talk our Web site people about this immediately."

Ties To The Ambassador Group, Inc.

During our interview, Eisenhower described the relationship between her non-profit organization and the for-profit company that markets the trips and makes all the travel arrangements.

That company is the Ambassadors Group, Inc., which sent the letters to students nationwide on People To People letterhead.

The publicly-traded company (EPAX ) is based in Spokane, Washington. It describes itself as a "leading educational travel company that organizes and promotes international and domestic educational travel and sports programs for youths, athletes and professionals."

A majority of those programs are marketed under the People To People name, including:

• People To People Student Ambassador Programs, • People To People Sports Ambassador Program, • People To People Ambassador programs (for adults); • People To People Leadership Summits.

Eisenhower says her organization has partnered with the Ambassador Group since 1963. "We've had a long, legitimate relationship with them," she says. "They're more than a travel agency. They do all our logistics."

The Ambassador Group also puts money into People To People International's coffers. Revenue generated from the trips it markets goes into People To People International's operating budget.

People To People International's Tax Return

ConsumerAffairs.com reviewed People To People International's tax records for 2005. Those records listed its total revenue at $4.7 million dollars. Of that amount, records show the organization received: • $940, 657 from Student Programs; • $701,983 from Adult programs, • $1,867,274, from what is listed as "other programs," • $712,499 from membership dues; and • $45,154 from licensing fees.

Eisenhower says private donations to her organization are tax-deductible and do not go into the operating budget. She says 100 percent of any donation goes to the specific program named by the donor.

That's substantially less than her counterpart at the for-profit Ambassador Group. Jeffery Thomas is the company's president and CEO, and stock information listed on Reuters.com reveals his annual salary is $1,203,673 plus $872,206 in other compensation.

Cost And Safety Concerns

What about the cost of the Student Ambassador overseas trips?

Parents repeatedly asked ConsumerAffairs.com why the trips are so expensive and if they're worth the money? The average price for a 20-day trip is about $5,000, which Eisenhower agrees is high.

"But these are academic programs and students can receive school credit for going on these trips," she says. "There's an educational aspect to the programs, and because of that content the price is a little higher."

Eisenhower assures parents the trips are worth the money. She says students go to places they might never have the opportunity to visit and many meet foreign dignitaries.

How do students pay for these trips abroad?

"We encourage kids to hold fundraisers like car washes and bake sales," Eisenhower says. "Some kids also write to corporations and request donations, but if they're going on one of our ambassador programs those donations are not tax deductible (because the Ambassador Group is for-profit organization).

"We also have scholarships that students can apply for," she adds. "And we pay 100 percent of the cost for students to go to our Peace Camps."

Safety Measures To Protect Students

Parents also wondered what safety measures are in place to protect their children in a foreign country. And they questioned whether background checks are done on the adults who supervise the students.

Eisenhower says safety is the organization's top priority.

Teacher leaders, she says, are specially trained how to handle a crisis overseas, including a terrorist threat.

"We had students in London when the terrorists bombed the subways last summer," Eisenhower says. "I was in Belfast and immediately went to London. We quickly updated our Web site and called every parent to let them know their children were safe.

"We pride ourselves on our safety measures," she adds. "We have a very good safety net in place. Only two people cancelled trips after that terrorist bombing. That shows you how much trust parents have in our ambassador programs. It puts them at ease."

The organization also screens everyone who travels with the students, Eisenhower says. "Most of the student leaders are teachers who've already undergone background checks."

First Complaints In The Organization's History

Eisenhower says these complaints are the first ones leveled against People To People International during its 50-year-history.

She said she takes each one seriously. And personally.

"I know something like this would be very upsetting to my grandfather," she says, adding he founded the organization to create world peace -- not controversy -- by bringing people from diverse cultures together. "And that's so upsetting to me.

"I'm just mortified this has happened. We are sincerely sorry and we've taken measures to correct these problems. I hope that in spite of all of this, people will still want to marry us."

Some parents applaud Eisenhower for listening to their concerns and those raised by their children.

"People To People shot my son's hopes of going overseas down the tubes," Tracie says. "I was lied to and I don't take being lied to lightly. If they lied to me about this, then they lied to me that I can trust them with my child.

The non-profit organization behind the "you've been chosen" recruiting letter inviting students to be "ambassadors" on one of its international tours is People To People International, which President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded in 1956.

People To People International is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. President Eisenhower's granddaughter, Mary Jean Eisenhower, is the group's president and chief executive officer.

Parents File Federal Complaint over Son's Death on People to People Tour

Organization's advertising and safety claims questioned

02/23/2008 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

The Minnesota family that recently sued a student travel organization for the wrongful death of their son has now taken their case to a federal consumer protection agency.

ConsumerAffairs.com has learned that Sheryl and Allan Hill recently filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against the Ambassadors Group and its People to People programs.

The complaint alleges the companies use unfair and deceptive trade practices to recruit students for their oversea trips and promote their safety record.

The complaint also names a company called docleaf, Ltd., which provided counseling services to the Hills after their son died.

The Hills' 16-year-old son, Tyler, died last summer on a People to People student ambassador trip to Japan.

In their lawsuit -- filed last month in Minnesota's Hennepin County District Court -- the Hills alleged that People to People's chaperones refused to take their son to the hospital when he requested medical attention.

Tyler had Type 1 diabetes and complex migraine headaches. His family disclosed his medical conditions before he left on the trip.

'Solid' safety record

The travel organization that touts its ties to President Dwight D. Eisenhower assured the Hills it had a solid safety record and a 24-hour response team that could handle any medical emergency.

That promise is the reason the Hills let Tyler join his friends on the trip overseas. It's also at the heart of their wrongful death lawsuit.

Now that promise is the centerpiece of the Hills' FTC complaint.

In that action, the Hill's allege the travel organization and its program engage in unfair and deceptive trade practices, including:

• People to People claims it will immediately notify parents if a child becomes sick during a trip. That did not happen in Tyler's case. The Hills allege the leaders on their son's trip did not call them until after Tyler was taken to a Tokyo hospital;

• People to People claims to have a "solid safety record." "One dead child is not a solid safety record," Sheryl Hill alleges. She also alleges other children have been injured and become sick on People to People trips and that one child died trying to jump a train on a trip in Europe;

• Students are led to believe they are "nominated" for these oversea trips. But People to People uses a commercial list rental service to obtain students' names and then "mass mails" invitation letters, the Hills allege. The company, they added, solicits more than 300,000 children each year;

• The company's invitation letters appear to come from the non-profit People to People International. But the Ambassadors Group, a for-profit company headquartered in Spokane, Washington, markets the People to People Student Ambassador trips and handles the travel arrangements;

• People to People has sent "invitations" to the parents of deceased children. It also sent "invitations" to the "parents" of a deceased cat;

• Consumers are led to believe President Eisenhower founded and chaired People to People. "President Eisenhower was never the founder or the chairman," the Hills allege;

• Anyone can nominate a child for a student ambassador trip on People to People's Web site. The Web site doesn't ask about a student's qualifications for the trip or even the name of the person making the nomination;

• Consumers are led to believe that People to People student ambassador programs are sanctioned by the government and part of the U.S. Department of State. This is false, the Hills allege.

Warning to parents

Sheryl Hill said her family filed the FTC complaint to warn parents about the organization's tactics.

"My job is to make sure families know this organization is lying and deceiving their kids," she told us from her home in Mound, Minnesota.

Named in that action are the Ambassadors Group, People to People Student Ambassador Programs, People to People International, A United Kingdom organization called docleaf Limited, two of its employees -- Larry McGonnell and Dr. David Perl -- and the four delegation leaders on Tyler's trip: Susan Stahr, Pat Veum-Smith, Josh Aberle, and Angela Hanson.

In their lawsuit, the Hill's allege the travel organization and its delegation leaders refused to get Tyler the medical attention he requested - and that his June 29, 2007, death in Tokyo is the result of their negligence.

Tyler Hill (Family photo)

The Hills discovered that Tyler had become sick at least three times before he was taken to the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo.

One time, he became ill after eating bad food. He later vomited blood, fainted in the shower after an unsupervised trip to a hot springs, and his blood sugar became low.

People to People, however, never contacted Tyler's parents about these medical problems and allegedly failed to monitor his condition.

Mount Fuji climb

Tyler's health took a turn for the worse on June 26, 2007 -- the day he and his group hiked Mount Fuji. After that climb, Tyler asked his delegation leaders to take him to the hospital. He said he had altitude sickness.

"Ty was the catalyst and poster child for the FIT USA Foundation, a non-profit diabetes rehabilitation advocacy group," Sheryl told us. "He dominated his disease and he knew if he was sick."

But according to the family's lawsuit, People to People's delegation leaders refused his request for medical treatment. Instead, they told him to "work through it" and sent him to his hotel room with water.

The lawsuit also states that People to People again failed to contact the Hills about Tyler's illness.

Sometime around 4 a.m. on June 27, 2007, Tyler's condition deteriorated and he started vomiting blood.

Around 7 that morning, People to People's four delegation leaders learned about Tyler's failing health. But they again refused to seek any medical treatment -- even though he requested that attention "because he had been vomiting blood since four o'clock in the morning."

The delegation leaders also failed again to contact Tyler's parents, the lawsuit alleges.

Left alone

For the next ten hours -- from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. -- People to People's delegation leaders allegedly left Tyler alone in his room -- without any medical attention.

The lawsuit further alleges that Tyler was placed under the "custody and care" of the one person the Hills specifically requested he never be left alone with -- delegation leader Pat Veum-Smith.

The Hills met Veum-Smith before Tyler's trip and expressed concerns about her abilities to care for their son.

"Pat Veum-Smith did nothing to assist him or obtain assistance for him, nor did she engage the 24-hour service center to contact Tyler's parents or medical doctors," the lawsuit states.

In fact, People to People's delegation leaders allegedly did not seek any medical attention for Tyler until he was found unconscious in his hotel room -- sometime around 6 p.m. on June 27, 2007. That's when the leaders finally called an ambulance, the lawsuit states.

A few hours later, Pat Veum-Smith notified the Hills that Tyler was in the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center. She also told them that Tyler's heart had stopped beating for more than an hour, that he had been resuscitated and was on dialysis.

Tyler died two days later.

"My son was killed," Sheryl told us last month, fighting back tears. "They (People to People) killed him. This was involuntary manslaughter, neglect, and abandonment."

The lawsuit echoes her sentiments.

"Tyler's death was caused because he was refused healthcare and left unassisted by the agents, employee, and representatives of Defendants Ambassadors Group, People to People, Susan Stahr, Pat Veum-Smith, Josh Aberle, and Angela Hanson, all of whom failed to notify Tyler's parents or medical doctors of his severe illness."

That would have happened, she added, if someone had called her when Tyler first became sick.

Holding hands

The delegation leaders didn't hesitate to call Sheryl several days earlier when they caught Tyler holding hands with his girlfriend.

"Angela Hanson, one of the People to People leaders, phoned me from Japan the day after arrival with a reprimand call because Ty and Abbey were showing public displays of affection on the airplane to Tokyo," Sheryl said. "They were holding hands."

Hanson then put Tyler on the phone. The marked the last time Sheryl talked to her son.

"Ty said not to worry, that it wouldn't happen again and that I could be proud of him," Sheryl recalled. "I told him I already was. He told me it was great to hear my voice and that he loved me."

Sheryl will never forget Tyler's final message to her: "I love you so much too, Mom. Don't worry."

The unconscionable actions don't end with the organization's failure to contact the Hills when their son became sick or get him the medical attention he requested, the lawsuit states.

It also alleges that docleaf Limited and its employees -- which the Ambassadors Group hired to help the Hills with their grieving process -- invaded the family's privacy.

How?

By "providing confidential mental health records and reports" to the Ambassadors Group and People to People, the lawsuit states.

"Larry McGonnell (an employee of docleaf Limited who claimed to be a licensed psychotherapist) flew home with us from Japan," Sheryl told us. "He was good. He helped us focus and grieve. And we told him everything...he counseled us for two days."

Sheryl, however, said her family never gave McGonnell or docleaf permission to release their private medical and psychological records to anyone - including the Ambassadors Group or People to People.

Overtures rebuffed

Before initiating any legal action, Sheryl says her family tried to work with top officials at the non-profit organization People to People International -- headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, -- and the Ambassadors Group.

The Hills' requests weren't motivated by greed or money. "No amount of money will bring our son back," Sheryl said.

They simply asked Jeffery D. Thomas, president and CEO of the Ambassadors Group, to change his company's Web site and stop touting that is has a stellar safety record.

"I told Jeff he can't continue to solicit students and brag about the company's safety records," Sheryl says. "I asked him to take this down (off the Web site). I also told him that he needs to change his company's safety standards. He told me that's my opinion."

Taking legal action against an organization that boasts about its ties to one of Tyler's heroes -- President Dwight D. Eisenhower -- also proved daunting for Sheryl and her family.

"Eisenhower was a supreme strategist who never fought on the battlefront," Sheryl said when asked why Tyler admired the former president. "Eisenhower also honored God and was responsible for putting 'In God We Trust' on our money, and the pledge of allegiance in the classroom."

She added: "Ty was born on the anniversary of D-day. He was diagnosed with diabetes at age five. He knew he could never serve in the armed forces, but believed he could make a positive difference by modeling after 'these great men.'"

Not founded by Eisenhower

During her investigation, though, Sheryl made a stunning discovery: People to People was not founded by President Eisenhower.

A New York Times story dated June 10, 1958, stated the People to People Foundation was formed to "implement a 1956 proposal by President Eisenhower to promote international understanding."

That non-profit foundation, the paper wrote, was organized in 1957 and President Eisenhower served as its honorary chairman. The 1958 Times article also stated the People to People Foundation had recently dissolved because "it had served its purpose."

ConsumerAffairs.com found records in the Missouri Secretary of State's office that reveal a non-profit organization called People to People International -- founded to "encourage and promote in every way possible contacts between citizens of the United States and people of other lands" - was incorporated on October 31, 1961.

President Eisenhower's name, however, is not listed on those records. They identify Alfred Frankfurter, Franklin Murphy, and Joyce C. Hall as the incorporators.

Sheryl said this is just another example of the ways in which People to People deceived her son - and her family.

"There is so much that we have discovered about this organization since Ty's death. I think Ty would be gravely offended by these discoveries."

In a written statement, the family added: "People to People and its associated organizations target children for their own financial benefit under the false pretense of being a non-profit established by President Eisenhower.

"Students are not nominated for this 'honor' (of going on a trip), but instead are solicited through mass mailing lists."

ConsumerAffairs.com has -- over the past two years -- repeatedly exposed examples of the misleading marketing tactics People to People uses to recruit students for its expensive, overseas trips.

Our stories revealed:

• The organization came under fire in 2005 by the Iowa Attorney General's office for sending a letter to a mother, which stated her son was named for a Student Ambassador trip overseas. Her son, however, had died in 1993. He was seven weeks old. Iowa officials did not take legal action against People to People. The organization later donated $5,000 to Iowa's SIDS Foundation and $20,000 to Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines;

• The organization has twice -- in recent years -- sent recruitment letters for its overseas trips to the parents of a deceased baby girl in Florida. The couple's daughter died from multiple birth defects in 1992. She was 18 days old. People to People said it was "absolutely devastated" this happened and blamed the company that compiled its mailing lists for the errors;

• In 2006, the organization sent a recruitment letter to the parents of an Earl Gray in Arkansas. Earl Gray, however, was the couple's white, one-eyed, cat. He died ten years earlier and is buried in the family's back yard. He was 14-years- old;

• Parents across the country have filed complaints with ConsumerAffairs.com about the misleading marketing tactics People to People uses to recruit students for its trips abroad. Parents say the letters led their children to believe they were "specially chosen" or nominated for these trips. Parents later discovered the travel company obtained their child's name from a mailing list.

ConsumerAffairs.com contacted Jeff Thomas and other officials with the Ambassadors Group and People to People International about the Hills' FTC complaint. No one returned our messages.

We previously left messages for Thomas and Mary Eisenhower, CEO of People to People International, about the Hill's lawsuit. Neither returned those calls, either.

The Ambassadors Group, however, issued this statement shortly after the Hills filed their lawsuit: "We are deeply saddened by the death of Tyler Hill last summer and the entire People to People Ambassador Program organization continues to grieve for his family."

KXLY-TV in Spokane, Washington, recently interviewed Thomas and his wife, Peg. She is president of People to People Ambassador Programs.

No responsibility

During that interview, Peg Thomas said her organization accepted no responsibility for Tyler's death.

"Absolutely not. Again, our hearts go out to this family. And being parents our hearts go out to that family and that entire community and our entire organization is continuing to grieve for that family. But our review of the incident does not match the allegations and the lawsuit brought forth by the Hill family," she told KXLY.

During that same interview, the Thomases admitted that another student died on a People to People trip. That child, they said, died trying to board a moving train.

Back in Minnesota, Sheryl Hill hopes her family's legal action will force the Ambassadors Group and People to People to be accountable for their actions -- and false claims that Tyler died because he stopped taking his insulin.

The family's lawsuit also seeks $6,750 in restitution for Tyler's trip, $30,000 for his funeral expenses, attorneys' fees, and damages in excess of $50,000.

Sheryl also hopes her efforts will protect the thousands of children who participate in People to People and other student travel programs each year.

Her family has worked on a bill that would require safety protocols for students on these of trips. The measure is called the "T-Hill Safety Standards Bill."

The Hills will meet next week with Minnesota Congressional leaders in Washington D.C. about this bill.

The family has also set up the Tyler Hill Web site , which has more information about their safety initiative.

Meanwhile, Sheryl said she and her husband continue to grieve the loss of their oldest son -- an honor student at Mound Westonka High School who was known as a humble teen who made friends easily and reached out to the new kids on his team or classmates.

Their youngest son, Alec, is also struggling with the death of his brother.

"Ty was very easy to talk to," Sheryl said. "He and his brother built a special 'fort'... he and Alec could spend hours down there talking about whatever brothers talk about."

She added: "When a child dies, all these connections to 'his community' die too. You miss his friends, his school, his teachers, and you especially miss him."

When asked what she wants people to remember about her son, Sheryl said: "Ty was recognized at Mound Westonka High School last year for singularly reporting a bomb threat that others were to afraid to bring forward. Ty always made the right choices even though they weren't the popular choices. He will be remembered as the kid who knew how to love.

"You should be proud that he wanted to represent America in Japan. We are."

Non-Profit Program Has a For-Profit Connection

People to People International, which organizes international study tours, says it regrets any "misunderstanding" caused by recent complaints about the invitations it sends to parents of students targeted for 20-day $5,000 international study tours.

Earlier this year, the Iowa Attorney General asked People to People to modify its practices after the parents of a child who died in 1993 received a letter saying their long-dead son had been "recommended" for the study-abroad program.

"We conveyed our concern to People to People that parents who are induced to believe that their child was selected on merit are potentially misled, and may be improperly manipulated into making substantial expenditures they might otherwise decline to make," Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said.

People to People said it would make the changes, but consumers around the country complain that they are continuing to receive the solicitations, which many find misleading.

"I have received a very misleading letter from the company, it basically has the same language as Iowa letter to deceased boy's parents ... It states that Michelle will advance as a young leader because of this program. It appears to be government sponsored. Apparently, it is not," said Christine of Elmsford, N.Y., in a complaint to ConsumerAffairs.com.

The program does appear to have a government tie-in. George W. Bush is People to People's honorary chairman and past honorary chairmen include all former presidents dating back to the group's founder, President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

But the money for the student travel comes out of the parents' pockets -- around $5,000 for a typical 20-day tour, according to Miller.

People to People did not return three telephone calls from a reporter seeking comment earlier this month, but followed up with a letter saying it wanted to "offer some details about our invitation letters."

"Regrettably, from time to time, we have mailed a letter to a family in error," said a missive on People to People letterhead signed by Jeffrey D. Thomas, who represented himself as Chief Executive Officer.

But in fact, Mary Jean Eisenhower is the President/Chief Executive Officer of People to People, the Kansas City-based not-for-profit founded by her grandfather. Thomas is the CEO of a publicly-traded for-profit company, Ambassadors Group, headquartered in Spokane, Washington.

Although details of the relationship between the two are not obvious, Ambassadors Group apparently is licensed to use the People to People name. Travel arrangements are handled by private agencies.

The company should have no trouble finding travel agents. Its chairman is John A. Ueberroth, former chairman of Hawaiian Airlines and past president of Carlson Travel Group.

In its latest earnings report, Ambassadors Group had net income of $18.5 million for the second quarter of 2006, compared to $15.2 million a year earlier. Gross "program receipts," revenue from programs the company runs for People to People and others, increased 21 percent to $98.7 million.

People to People, by contrast, reported total revenue of $4.7 million for all of 2005, of which about $1.8 million came from "special projects" and $908,000 from "student programs," according to its tax return.

Mary Jean Eisenhower was paid $157,628 in 2005, according to the People to People tax return. Thomas was paid $2,075,879, not counting stock options valued at about $14,683,861, according to public records.

Invitations

In his letter, Thomas said his group gets names of prospective students from three sources:

• Direct student recommendations from teachers. These include the more than 3,000 teachers who travel as chaperones on the tours and "thousands of teachers that support our programs by recommending some of their outstanding students to us."

• National academic listings. "We work with the same groups that colleges and universities use to identify potential undergraduates. Part of this group comes from the College Board ..."

The Iowa Attorney General's Office complained that in-person presentations to families who receive the invitation letter also convey the message that students are specially selected as an honor, and People to People representatives describe the program similarly over the telephone.

Although the company agreed to tone down its representations, recent complaints from consumers cast doubt upon that pledge.

"On 9-7-06, I received through US postal mail service, a letter from People to People International stating my daughter had been selected to participant in an international exchange student program and that 'she had been named for this honor by a teacher, former Student Ambassador or national academic listing,'" said Beth of Lincolnton NC in a complaint to ConsumerAffairs.com.

"I called the phone number provided on the letter on 9-13-06 to inquire as to exactly which source nominated my child. I was told by the representative, Amelia Adams, that "unfortunately, the space where a person is suppose to fill in their name has been left blank, therefore she is unable to provide that information," Beth said.

People to People International, which organizes international study tours, says it regrets any "misunderstanding" caused by recent complaints about the invitations it sends to parents of students targeted for 20-day $5,000 international study tours.

Earlier this year, the Iowa Attorney General asked People to People to modify its practices after the parents of a child who died in 1993 received a letter saying their long-dead son had been "recommended" for the study-...

Not Everyone's Happy with People to People Trips

People to People: "Ambassadors" or Tourists?

11/20/2006 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

Nearly 100 percent of students who go on a People To People Student Ambassador trip say they'd recommend the program, according to Mary Eisenhower, the organization's president. She says her organization surveys students at the end of their educational trips overseas.

"And 95 percent say 'Yes, they'd recommend' them to their friends," Eisenhower says. "I've seen these programs work. And they work beautifully."

The Iowa Attorney General's Office criticized the organization's marketing tactics earlier this year, saying they misled parents into believing their children were specially chosen for the Student Ambassador trips abroad.

That action came after an Iowa mother -- whose infant son died in 1993 -- received a letter from the organization last year, stating her child was named for a Student Ambassador trip abroad.

Eisenhower says she was "mortified" when she learned about the letter going to a parent who lost a child. She apologized for that action, calling it "human error."

Her organization also donated $25,000 to charity in honor of the boy who died. And she says People To People recently changed the wording of its marketing letter.

Iowa officials, however, never questioned the merits of the Student Ambassador trips.

ConsumerAffairs.com has received one complaint about the Student Ambassador trips since September.

Christy E. of Arlington, Texas, says the organization misrepresented the experience her 17-year-old daughter would have on a 20-day trip to Europe.

"People To People acted like they (the kids) were representatives of America, and there was a lot of emphasis on the way they acted," Christy says. "But when they got over there, most of the things they did were touristy things that anybody could do. We were disappointed because the places listed on the travel itinerary were replaced with not so well-known destinations at the last minute because of 'scheduling issues.'"

Christy says her daughter, for example: • Didn't meet members of Parliament, as promised; • Was only in Dublin long enough to check into a motel and grab two meals; • Went to Waterford, but didn't go to the Waterford museum.

"They did tell us things could change once the kids got to Europe," Christy says. "But these were big things. If you say you're going to London and you'll get to go to Parliament -- and then the closest you get to Parliament is seeing it from the London Eye (the big Ferris wheel) -- that's misleading."

Christy also had concerns with the group leader on the trip. "She was new and I was not happy with the work they were supposed to do to get ready for this trip."

Her daughter, she says, also lost 12 pounds on the trip. "That's because the food was bad. And for the first two months after she got back, every time I'd make potatoes, she said couldn't eat them because that's all she ate on the trip."

Would she recommend the Student Ambassador program?

"As parent, no, I wouldn't," Christy says. "It's not worth the money. I bet I could find a good travel agency that could book a 20-day trip to Europe like this, and it would be a lot less expensive (she paid $4800), and they would get me hooked up with people who lived there.

"I've been contacted four times by People To People to come and recommend the program to other parents," she adds. "And I've declined all four times. I've also asked to be taken off their list."

What about her daughter?

"While she said she would love to go back to the UK, she would never want to go with a People To People group again," Christy says.

"She's been contacted ten times by People To People to sign up for another trip, and twice to write recommendations for them. She's declined on both and we finally had to request they take us off their contact list to stop the calls and emails."

Nearly 100 percent of students who go on a People To People Student Ambassador trip say they'd recommend the program, according to Mary Eisenhower, the organization's president. She says her organization surveys students at the end of their educational trips overseas.

"And 95 percent say 'Yes, they'd recommend' them to their friends," Eisenhower says. "I've seen these programs work. And they work beautifully."

People to People Executive Sentenced to Prison

Financial Director Convicted of Embezzling $148,000

05/16/2007 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

A federal judge has sentenced the former financial director of People To People International to 20 months in prison for stealing $148,144 from the non-profit organization founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple also ordered David E. Schlotzhauer of Leawood, Kansas, to pay $128,144 in restitution.

In a plea agreement reached in February 2006 with the U.S. Attorneys Office, Schlotzhauer admitted that he embezzled thousands of dollars from the organizations checking account and used its credit card for personal use.

Prosecutors say the scheme lasted two years -- from 2001 to 2003.

One of those thefts occurred on August 13, 2003. In that case, Schlotzhauer admitted that he wrote an $18,125 check on People To People Internationals checking account to his wife identified in court records as Kathleen P. Zimmerman. Schlotzhauer then transported the money from Missouri to Kansas action that led federal prosecutors to charge him with interstate transportation of stolen property.

This check was fraudulently issued by defendant on his employers -- People International -- bank account as part of a scheme devised by defendant to defraud the employer, according to the plea agreement.

Specifically, defendant fraudulently caused checks to be issued on his employers account for his own personal purposes and fraudulently used the company credit card to pay personal expenses.

Loss Amount Disputed

While federal prosecutors say People to People International lost $148,144, Schlotzhauer has contended the loss is much less around $70,000.

That dispute surfaced again during Thursdays hearing, according to The Kansas City Star.

Schlotzhauer and his accountant argued the loss to the Kansas City-based non-profit group is much less than the governments calculations because some of the missing funds were loans approved by the organizations president, Mary Eisenhower, President Eisenhowers granddaughter.

Eisenhower testified her organization does not make loans to employees, according to The Kansas City Star.

The newspaper also reported that Schlotzhauer used the money he embezzled from People To People to pay the taxes on his Johnson County, Kansas, home and an attorney to represent him on a personnel matter. In addition, prosecutors said he used the organizations credit card for such personal expenses as golf equipment, ski lessons, and a youth sports camp.

The attorney for People To People International, Don Lolli, declined to comment on the sentencing when contacted today by ConsumerAffairs.com.

Schlotzhauers attorney did not return our call today.

People to People International sponsors student exchange programs and other peace initiatives in 135 countries.

Marketing Tactics Questioned

The company that markets People to Peoples Student Ambassador programs came under fire last year for sending letters to the parents of deceased children stating their teenagers were named for educational trip overseas.

In one case, that marketing company -- the Ambassador Group of Spokane, Washington -- sent a letter to parents in Florida stating a teacher, former Student Ambassador, or national academic listing, named their daughter for one of these expensive trips abroad.

Their daughter, however, died in 1992. She was 18 days old and suffered multiple birth defects.

The marketing company also sent a letter in September 2005 to an Iowa mother --whose infant son died in 1993 -- stating her child was named for a 20-day trip to Europe.

The Iowa Attorney Generals Office criticized that letter, saying it misled parents into believing that their child was selected on merit when that is not the case, and that parents may be manipulated into making substantial expenditures they might otherwise decline to make.

Assistant Attorney General Steve St. Clair added: The letter raised concerns that parents were being led to believe that their child had been chosen for an honor based on recommendations or academic performance, criteria that could not possibly have applied to the infant who died years ago at seven weeks of age.

Iowa officials did not take issue with the merits of the Student Ambassador trips, which cost an average of $5,000. That offices investigation focused on the organizations letter and its marketing tactics.

During an interview last year with ConsumerAffairs.com, Eisenhower said called the situation in Iowa devastating.

I was mortified when that happened. Ive lost a baby so I know how devastating that is.

What happened in Iowa was an unfortunate mistake caused by a mailing list, Eisenhower said. It was human error, and it unfortunately caused people to doubt our mission. We are sincerely sorry people feel misled or hurt. Believe me, nobody wants to dupe anybody.

Eisenhower said her organization donated $5,000 to the Iowa SIDS Foundation and $20,000 to Blank Childrens Hospital in honor of the baby who died.

After the Florida incident, Eisenhower told ConsumerAffairs.com: We all feel very badly that this has happened. This was a matter of human error. It was a mistake and were trying to make it right. Our intent is to spread happiness--not to hurt people.

When asked what action her organization will take in the wake of the Florida incident, Eisenhower referred questions to the president and chief executive officer of the for-profit company that markets the Student Ambassador programs.

Thats Jeffrey D. Thomas, president and CEO of the publicly-traded Ambassador Group, Inc. (EPAX). He also lists his title as CEO of People To People, which Eisenhower says he has contractual authority to do.

Were trying to work out a solution with the family in Florida, Thomas told ConsumerAffairs.com last year. He declined to elaborate.

Thomas said a list service his company used provided the name of the Florida child. He also said People To People changed the wording of its letter.

Weve moved quickly to make sure this doesnt happen again. Weve changed the letters wording so that there will be no way people can misconstrue anything about how we came to get their childs name. Our letter wont say their child was named or nominated unless we can trace the source. The letter will talk about the benefits of the program.

He added: This is devastating. And were investigating how it happened. Our goal is to do the right thing and were working to get this fixed.

Shortly after that interview, though, ConsumerAffairs.com learned the parents of a deceased cat received that same letter from People To People.

The Parents of Earl Gray received a letter--dated October 4, 2006--stating their son was eligible for a trip to Europe and named for this honor by a teacher, former Student Ambassador or national academic listing.

Earl was the couples all white, one-eyed, cat.

But he died ten years ago and is buried in the couples back yard. He was 14 years old, about the age at which students start getting letters from the organization.

Earl was a smart cat, joked his owner, Susan G. of Cabot, Arkansas. And as an all white cat he might have fit right in going bobsledding in Austria.

Weve gotten a few laughs from this, she said, adding this is second letter she and her husband have received from the organization in the past two years. But then I thought of all the real people who are getting these letters and knew how excited their kids would be. And then I read about the parents whod lost a child and received one of these letters. That just broke my heart.

-

A federal judge has sentenced the former financial director of People To People International to 20 months in prison for stealing $148,144 from the non-profit organization founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple also ordered David E. Schlotzhauer of Leawood, Kansas, to pay $128,144 in restitution.

In a plea agreement reached in February 2006 with the U.S. Attorneys Office, Schlotzhauer admitted that he embezzled thousands of dollars...

Parents Object to People to People's Use of Student Lists

People to People: "Ambassadors" or Tourists?

Tracie Y. of Niagara Falls, New York, is outraged by the marketing tactics a non-profit organization -- founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower -- used to promote its educational trips overseas.

The organization sent Tracie's ten-year-old son an invitation to participate in one of its trips and claimed he was specially chosen for this honor.

But Tracie says no one nominated her son. She learned the organization bought his name from a list service -- an action she says violated his privacy.

"I think something should be done so kids' names aren't being sold," says Tracie, who contacted legislative officials in New York about this issue. "What happens if some whacked-out person buys a list with the names of kids on it?

"It bothers me that all this information is out there about my ten-year old son. His information should be private."

Other parents, whose children received the same invitation for these overseas trips, share Tracie's concerns.

"I think it's bad that they're selling lists that have the names of kids on them," says Regina G. of Brooklyn, New York. "They're infringing on my personal life by buying this mailing list."

The non-profit organization behind the letters is People To People International, based in Kansas City, Missouri. It uses the Ambassador Group -- a for-profit company based in Spokane, Washington -- to market its trips and send invitations to students nationwide.

We learned the Ambassador Group buys the names of prospective students from a national list service -- the American Student List.

Tracie says People To People initially refused to disclose that information.

"When I called People To People and asked them how they got my son's name, they blew me off," she says. "That's how this all got started. They were avoiding my questions and not answering me."

Tracie says the organization finally sent her a letter stating: "We receive the names of potential Student Ambassadors through a variety of sources ... in (your son's) case we received his name from a student listing organization, specifically American Student List."

Tracie and other parents say People To People should disclose -- in its letters -- that it buys students' names from a national list service. Instead, the letter states students are nominated by a teacher, former Student Ambassador, or national academic listing.

"Why didn't they just say they got my son's name from a mailing list?" Tracie asks. "Their letter should specifically state 'you were chosen from a mailing list.'"

Mary Jean Eisenhower, president and chief executive officer of People To People International, apologized to parents and students upset with her organization's letter.

She says People To People recently changed the letter's wording. It now states children are 'invited' to participate in one of the Student Ambassador programs.

Of its ties to the Ambassador Group, Eisenhower says "we've had a long, legitimate relationship with them."

Eisenhower also says the Ambassador Group is selective about the names of students it buys from the list service. The company's mailing list, Eisenhower says, contains the names of academic achievers and students who are receptive to learning about other cultures.

But Tracie says People To People -- and other organizations -- should be prohibited from buying any child's name.

"I don't believe there should be a mailing list that has the names of children on it," she says. "I believe children's information should be private.

"This whole experience has really opened my eyes about how companies are buying the names of our children. And that shouldn't happen. These are just kids."

People to People Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit

16-year-old died in Tokyo after allegedly being refused medical attention

06/22/2009 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

Tyler Hill (Family photo)

The parties involved in the wrongful death lawsuit involving a Minnesota teenager who died on a 2007 People to People trip to Japan have settled the case, ConsumerAffairs.com confirmed today.

The terms of the settlement in the case Sheryl and Allen Hill filed after their 16-year-old, Tyler, died on the People to People Student Ambassador trip are confidential and must be approved by the judge hearing the matter in Minnesotas Hennepin County District Court. The familys attorney, Charles Hvass, declined to comment. The Hills could not be reached for comment.

The Hills' lawsuit alleged that People to Peoples Student Ambassador group and its delegation leaders refused to get Tyler the medical attention he requested and charged that his June 29, 2007, death in Tokyo was the result of their negligence. Tyler suffered from Type 1 diabetes and complex migraine headaches — conditions his family disclosed before he went on the overseas journey.

But the travel organization that touts its ties to President Dwight D. Eisenhower convinced the family that it had a solid safety record and a 24-hour response team that could handle any medical emergency. That promise laid the foundation for the lawsuit, which alleged that no one with the organization responded to Tylers pleas for medical attention when he became sick after hiking Mount Fuji.

After that climb, the Hills alleged, Tyler asked his delegation leaders to take him to the hospital. He said he had altitude sickness. But People to People's delegation leaders refused his request for medical treatment, told him to "work through it," and sent him to his hotel room with water, according to the familys lawsuit.

The lawsuit also stated that People to People failed to contact the Hills about Tyler's illness.

Sometime around 4 a.m. on June 27, 2007, Tyler's condition deteriorated and he started vomiting blood. Around 7 that morning, People to People's four delegation leaders learned about Tyler's failing health. But they again refused to seek any medical treatment — even though he requested that attention "because he had been vomiting blood since four o'clock in the morning."

The delegation leaders also failed again to contact Tyler's parents, the lawsuit alleged.

For the next ten hours — from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. — People to People's delegation leaders allegedly left Tyler alone in his room without any medical attention. According to the lawsuit, People to People did not seek any medical attention for Tyler until he was found unconscious in his hotel room — sometime around 6 p.m. on June 27, 2007.

A few hours later, one of the delegation leaders notified the Hills that Tyler was in the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center. The delegation leader also told the family that Tyler's heart had stopped beating for more than an hour, that he was then resuscitated and had been put on dialysis.

Tyler died two days later.

"They killed him, Sheryl Hill told ConsumerAffairs.com when her family filed the wrongful death lawsuit. This was involuntary manslaughter, neglect, and abandonment."

The Hills filed their lawsuit against Ambassadors Group, Inc., People to People Student Ambassador Programs, People to People International, a United Kingdom organization called docleaf Limited, two of its employees — Larry McGonnell and Dr. David Perl — and the four delegation leaders on Tyler's trip: Susan Stahr, Pat Veum-Smith, Josh Aberle, and Angela Hanson.

Earlier this year, the Hills reached a confidential agreement with the non-profit People to People International, based in Kansas City, Missouri. The remaining parties in the case reached a confidential agreement during a mediation hearing earlier this month, according to the Hills' attorney.

In a statement released today, Jeff Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Ambassadors Group, Inc., said his organization accepted some responsibility for Tylers death.

Through hindsight we can see that there are steps that all of the leaders should have taken that could have prevented Tyler's death on June 29, 2007, during a trip to Tokyo, Japan, and regret that they were not taken, said Thomas, who is also chief executive officer of Ambassador Programs, Inc. We are very sorry for Tyler's death and the Hill Family's loss and the impact it has had on many. We continue to review all policies surrounding students with pre-existing conditions, including diabetes protocols, to refine our procedures.

The parties involved in the wrongful death lawsuit involving a Minnesota teenager who died on a 2007 People to People trip to Japan have settled the case, ConsumerAffairs.com confirmed today.

The terms of the settlement in the case Sheryl and Allen Hill filed after their 16-year-old, Tyler, died on the People to People Student Ambassador trip are confidential and must be approved by the judge hearing the matter in Minnesotas Hennepin County District Court. The famil...

People to People Does It Again

Letter Invites Long-Dead Child to be an "Ambassador" for $5,000

12/01/2006 | ConsumerAffairs

By Lisa Wade McCormick

It's happened again. For at least the second time in less than a year, the marketing company for a non-profit organization -- founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower -- has sent a letter to the parents of a deceased child stating their teenager was named for an educational trip overseas.

This time, the parents live in New Port Richey, Florida.

They received the letter in August, 2006, stating "a teacher, former Student Ambassador, or national academic listing," named their daughter for this honor.

Their daughter, however, died in 1992. She was 18 days old and suffered multiple birth defects.

"It Makes You Very Angry"

"It makes you very angry because it makes you wonder how they could do that to someone," the child's mother told WFTS in Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida. "When they die you never forget, I mean, every day you think of themthere's no excuse ... it just re-opens the whole death all over again."

The girl's father called the letter "tear-jerking" and said "it eats you up inside."

In September 2005, a mother in Iowa received a letter from the same organization stating her son was named for a Student Ambassador trip overseas.

Her son, however, died in 1993. He was seven weeks old.

Iowa Calls It Misleading

The Iowa Attorney General's Office criticized the group's letter, saying it misled parents into "believing that their child was selected on merit when that is not the case, and that parents may be manipulated into making substantial expenditures they might otherwise decline to make."

Iowa officials discovered the organization also misled parents during its in-person presentations.

"(Those) also convey the message that students are specially selected as an honor," said Iowa Assistant Attorney General Steve St. Clair. "And we found that representatives with whom our investigator had phone contact described the program in the same manner."

In June, 2006, the organization agreed to modify its letter and presentations.

But parents across the country told ConsumerAffairs.com the organization continued to send its misleading letter -- and dupe students into believing they were hand-picked for expensive trips abroad. The trips cost an average of $5,000.

Letters Come From People To People

People To People International is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. President Eisenhower's granddaughter, Mary Jean Eisenhower, is the group's president and chief executive officer.

"We all feel very badly that this has happened," Eisenhower said earlier this week of the letter sent the Florida parents. "This was a matter of human error. It was a mistake and we're trying to make it right. Our intent is to spread happiness -- not to hurt people."

When asked what action her organization will take in the wake of the Florida incident, Eisenhower referred questions to the president and chief executive officer of the for-profit company that markets the Student Ambassador programs.

Ambassador Group Responds

That company is the Ambassadors Group, Inc., based in Spokane, Washington. It sends letters to students nationwide on People To People letterhead.

Jeffrey D. Thomas is president and CEO of the publicly-traded Ambassador Group, Inc. (EPAX). He also lists his title as CEO of People To People, which Eisenhower says he has contractual authority to do.

"We're trying to work out a solution with the family in Florida," Thomas said. He declined to elaborate. After the incident in Iowa, People To People donated $5,000 to the Iowa SIDS Foundation and $20,000 to Blank Children's Hospital.

Thomas said a list service his company uses provided the name of the Florida child. But People To People, he said, may fire that service.

"We've told them that unless we know where you're getting these names -- and can assure us they're not deceased children -- we're not interested in working with you," Thomas said, adding the list service uses multiply sources to gather names.

Wording Of Letter Changed

Thomas also said People To People has changed the wording of its letter.

"We've moved quickly to make sure this doesn't happen again," he said. "We've changed the letter's wording so that there will be no way people can misconstrue anything about how we came to get their child's name. Our letter won't say their child was named or nominated unless we can trace the source. The letter will talk about the benefits of the program."

He added: "This is devastating. And we're investigating how it happened. Our goal is to do the right thing and we're working to get this fixed."

Thomas said the letters stating students were named by a "teacher, former Student Ambassador, or national academic listing," went out as recently as October, 2006, because "they were already in the pipeline."

He also said he's not aware of any other letters going to parents who lost a child years ago.

The parents in Florida hope that's true. They don't want another family to suffer like they did because of People To People's letter.

"I want them to clean up their act," the girl's mother told WFTS. "It's just unfair to everyone."

It's happened again. For at least the second time in less than a year, the marketing company for a non-profit organization -- founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower -- has sent a letter to the parents of a deceased child stating their teenager was named for an educational trip overseas.

This time, the parents live in New Port Richey, Florida.

They received the letter in August, 2006, stating "a teacher, former Student Ambassador, or national academic listing," named the...

People to People Parent Company Faces Securities Class Action

Complaint alleges overly optimistic outlook

Jonathan Hood is a New York City attorney who practices ...
Read Full Bio→

Phone: 866-773-0221

The Ambassador's Group, which is affiliated with the controversial student-travel organization People to People, is facing a securities class action brought on behalf of its stockholders.

The complaint alleges that Ambassador's directors issued misleading and overly optimistic statements about the company's financial future. Among other things, the suit alleges that the directors failed to disclose a drop in travel participants and that fewer people who signed up for informational sessions went on to actually book trips. As a result of these deceptions, the stock was allegedly sold at artificially inflated prices.

Indeed, on October 22, 2007, when the directors announced financial results for the third quarter of that year, they conceded that the company's net enrolled participants for 2008 were 26,200, a sharp drop from the 37,300 that had signed up for the same period in 2007. The directors also admitted that this decrease would negatively impact [Ambassador's] 2008 earnings. After the announcement, Ambassador's Group stock fell 44%, to around $21 per share.

The complaint alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the statute that regulates secondary trading of securities markets.

People to People, an organization that purportedly provides scholarships and travel opportunities to students, has spent the past several years embroiled in scandal.

People to People is known for sending travel invitations to long-dead children, upsetting parents and raising questions about the organization's recruiting and selection process. In 2006, Eugene and Margaret Beil received a letter inviting their daughter Katherine to join the group's trip to Europe. A nice gesture, except that Katherine died 14 years earlier, at 18 days of age. Just in case that wasn't egregious enough, in 2007 the organization invited Katherine on a trip to China during the summer of 2008. Katherine's mother Margaret said that the repeated promotions just re-open the whole death all over again.

Prison term

People to People further burnished its reputation in March 2007, when its former financial director was sentenced to 20 months in prison for stealing $148,144 from the organization. In a plea agreement, David E. Schlotzhauer conceded that, between 2001 and 2003, he embezzled money from People to People's checking account and used its credit card for personal expenses.

Perhaps most infamously, the company faced a wrongful death lawsuit after Tyler Hill, a 16-year old with diabetes and serious migraine headaches, died on People to People's excursion to Tokyo. Tyler's parents had worried about sending him on the trip in the first place, but were comforted by People to People's 24-hour medical response team and the organization's repeated assurances that Tyler would be in good hands.

Hill, an athletic history buff who had dominated his Type 1 diabetes from an early age, left the U.S. standing at 6'2 and 215 pounds. Two weeks later, he was braindead in a Tokyo hospital bead, his organs rotting and his eyes lifeless. His devastated parents decided to release him from life support. Although Hill wanted to be an organ donor, only his corneas were in good enough condition to be harvested.

Only later did the Hills learn the full details of their son's death. Tyler had become sick no less than three times before he was finally taken to a hospital. People to People refused Tyler's request to be taken to a hospital after he suffered altitude sickness during a hike up Mount Fuji. Only after he became unconscious did the leadership cave and give him the medical attention he desperately needed, court documents indicated.

The Hills and People to People settled the wrongful death action last month. The terms of the settlement are confidential and were not disclosed.

Not much change

The steady stream of scandal and litigation doesn't seem to have shamed People to People into cleaning up its act. ConsumerAffairs.com still receives a regular stream of complaints from consumers who say they have been misled by the organization. Many consumers pay People to People thousands of dollars to send their children on a trip, only to have their children's names removed from the travel list.

Colleen of Riverhead, NY, writes that, We paid over $2,000 and assumed final payment could be made closer to the trip. We attended all of the delegation meetings including a service project. Approximately two weeks ago, the delegation leader called to tell me my daughter was taken off the roster.

In a strikingly similar account, Susan of Mooreshead, NJ, writes, Placed 400.00 deposit on trip, intending to charge the full payment balance on my credit card closer to departure date (8 months later). Days before I went to place the full payment, I was told that my daughter was no longer on the trip and that I was entitled to no refund (although I was originally told verbally by the company that I would be able to obtain a full refund minus a fee of less than 100.00).

Invitations for non-existent children don't seem to have abated, either. Roberta of Brockton, MA, writes, I received an invite for my daughter to participate in a 'one time only opportunity' to travel to Japan this summer. I don't have a daughter, nor a son. Where are these people getting these names and why are they allowed to continue this marketing ploy?

People to People's website touts it as the worlds most recognized and respected educational travel provider and claims the organization was originally founded by President Dwight Eisenhower, though his name does not appear in any of the original incorporation documents.

As is customary for securities suit, the action was brought on behalf of the nominal company against its board of directors. The action covers anyone who purchased Ambassador's stock between February 8, 2007 and October 23, 2007.

Ambassador's, headquartered in Spokane, Washington, prides itself as a socially conscious education company, according to its website. In addition to People to People, the organization runs World Adventures Unlimited, another program that purportedly helps students travel abroad; and BookRags, a research site that provides study guides and other research tools.

The Ambassador's Group, which is affiliated with the controversial student-travel organization People to People, is facing a securities class action brought on behalf of its stockholders.

The complaint alleges that Ambassador's directors issued misleading and overly optimistic statements about the company's financial future. Among other things, the suit alleges that the directors failed to disclose a drop in travel participants and that fewer people who signed up for info...

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